This invention relates to social networking websites and in particular to sharing on a social networking website digital content obtained from an external system.
Social networks, or social utilities that track and enable connections between members (including people, businesses, and other entities), have become prevalent in recent years. In particular, social networking websites allow members to communicate relevant information more efficiently. For example, a member may post contact information, background information, job information, hobbies, and/or other member-specific data to a location associated with the member on a social networking website. Other members can then review the posted data by browsing member profiles or searching for profiles including specific data. The social networking websites also allow members to associate themselves with other members, thus creating a web of connections among the members of the social networking website.
Conventionally, when a user who is also a member of a social network wishes to share information with other members of the social network, the user generally copies and pastes the information to a location on the social network or forwards the information in the form of a message or email to other members. Often, certain forms of information do not copy and paste very well from one medium to another, and additional formatting or modifications to the information may be required before it is suitable for viewing by other members. Moreover, members who receive this shared information and subsequently wish to forward it may be required to repeat the formatting process. As a result, the quality of shared information may be compromised and members may be less likely to share information with each other. Furthermore, outdated shared information may accumulate in locations within the social network, further dampening the incentive for members to share content. Additionally, there is often no way of tracking the shared information within the social network.